Learn the Rickson Gracie Breathing Technique to improve your mind/body connection, enhance performance and stay calm under pressure.
Rickson Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend and MMA pioneer. A member of the famous Gracie clan, he is said to have won 450 fights, both in the streets and professionally.
Rickson was a highly skilled fighter, who helped bring BJJ to the mainstream, yet is known equally for his intensity and mental strength. His training is rooted in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and includes complimentary practices like yoga, mobility and breathwork that keep him strong, agile and resilient.
One of the keys to Ricksons success, he says, is the breath. Learning how to breathe under control and use the diaphragm effectively helps him to relax, stay calm and maintain energy for longer.
He stated, “I was always at an advantage in relation to the heart rate and breathing. That’s what would lead my opponents, sooner than me, to get their heads confused, make tactical errors, see their arms get too heavy.”
“Breathing, therefore, was always my best friend as a fighter.”
His method and philosophy are revealed in his memoir, Breathe: A Life in Flow, weaved into captivating stories about his life and the Gracie dynasty.
If you’re an athlete, martial artist, or someone who has a competitive arena in your life, you can learn the fundamentals of his breathing technique below, and pick up a copy of the book on amazon.com.
Rickson Gracie breathing philosophy
There are many great interviews with Rickson where he opens up about his training and lifestyle. Here’s a selection of insights on breathing that he’s shared over the years:
- Oxygen is life. “Oxygen is life. You can spend seven days without food and not die. You can spend two or three days without water and not die. But five minutes without the air and you’re dead.”
- Proper breathing. “Through the proper breathing you can control your heart beats. Through the proper breathing you can control your mindset and get calmer, control your panic, control your courage, control everything you need in the mental aspect, and also spiritual.”
- Mind and breath connection. “The connection between your mind and your breathing is very profound in terms of your overall effectiveness and happiness.”
- Fill your lungs. “If you don’t know how to involve your lungs in your breathing, you’re not able to favour your brain and your heart the way you’re supposed to.”
- Breathing is alive. “Breathing is alive. You can be running, you can be swimming, you can be lifting weights, and breathing has to shift with your activity. Eventually you’re going be be comfortable enough to allow yourself to flow. The mechanism of breathing is there to support your endeavour.”
- Adapt your breathing. “Sometimes you need to relax and be very quiet. Sometimes you need to sleep. Sometimes you need to fight full power – but all shifting based on your understanding of diaphragmatic breathing.”
How to practice Rickson Gracie breathing
If you’re familiar with the basics of Breathwork and Pranayama, you’ll have no trouble learning the Rickson Gracie method.
The first step is to develop diaphragmatic breathing. This involves filling the lungs fully using the diaphragm, which is a thin dome-shaped muscle that sits below your lungs and heart. You can achieve this by breathing ‘into the belly’ instead of just expanding the chest, which is the more common way people breathe.
Try the following:
- Find a comfortable lying position with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on top of the belly button.
- Take a slow breath in and allow the belly to expand comfortably.
- Exhale slowly, allowing the belly to lower comfortably.
- Continue to breathe in this manner for 2-3 minutes.
The second practice is to emphasise the exhale. In order to get a full breath in, one must get all of the air (and waste products) out first. This is achieved by being quite deliberate on the exhale and making a forceful “Tssss” sound.
Try both techniques separately until you are comfortable with each, and you can combine them into one practice eventually.
Learn more about Rickson Gracie and his academy at ricksongracie.com.
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